Draleba

"From tempest's heart she forged her crown, while lightning served as her scepter. The very storms bowed before her might, and thunder sang her praises."

Chronicles of the Air Eaters

Among the four mighty Air Eaters chosen by Aejeon, Draleba emerged as perhaps the most noble and beloved. Her form shifted between aspects of atmospheric majesty - sometimes appearing as a living storm system crowned with aurora, other times as a being of pure lightning wrapped in clouds of deepest silver.
The establishment of her legendary Silver Tower marked her earliest triumph. This extraordinary fortress, constructed from solidified storm clouds and stabilized lightning, rose through multiple layers of atmosphere. Each level served a different purpose in maintaining weather patterns across the realms.

"Her eyes held wisdom deep as thunder,
Her voice sang storm's sweet song,
Each step made lightning bow in wonder,
As clouds danced all day long."

Ballad of the Storm Queen

Under her guidance, the first Storm Legions took shape - armies of weather workers who learned to channel atmospheric powers in combat. These elite forces rode lightning bolts into battle and wore armor crafted from condensed storm clouds, their very presence capable of shifting weather patterns across entire regions.
The creation of her Weather Gardens revealed her artistic soul. These extraordinary spaces featured carefully cultivated storm systems, each maintaining perfect balance between chaos and control. Here, apprentice storm-shapers learned to understand weather's subtle languages.

"Within her gardens, thunderheads bloomed like flowers, and lightning danced through cloud-paths with deliberate grace. Every storm told a story, every breeze carried wisdom."

- Records of the Storm Sages

Her mastery extended to the creation of the Storm Wyrms - serpentine beings of pure weather that could travel through atmospheric currents as easily as fish through water. These creatures served as her messengers and scouts, maintaining communication across vast distances.
During the Age of First Storms, she pioneered the art of weather-weaving, creating intricate patterns of atmospheric phenomena that could influence everything from crop yields to the flow of magical energies. This expertise made her counsel sought by gods and mortals alike.

"From highest sky to deepest cloud,
Where thunder speaks its name,
Her power makes the heavens proud,
And lightning speaks her fame."

- The Storm Singer's Chant

The founding of the Tempest Academy demonstrated her commitment to sharing knowledge. Here, chosen mortals learned the basics of weather manipulation while divine apprentices studied the deeper mysteries of atmospheric control.
Her romance with Altabar, another of the Air Eaters, produced some of the most spectacular atmospheric phenomena ever witnessed. Their courtship played out across the skies, with aurora borealis serving as love letters and hurricanes as passionate embraces.

"She danced through storms as others walk through gardens, each lightning bolt a partner in her eternal ballet of power and grace."

- Tales of the Air Eaters

The development of the Cloud Roads showed her practical wisdom. These carefully maintained atmospheric currents allowed safe passage through otherwise treacherous skies, revolutionizing aerial travel between realms.
Among her most remarkable achievements was the creation of the Storm Fonts - sacred nexus points where weather energy naturally collected and could be harvested for various purposes. These locations became centers of both power and study.

"When she sang, clouds wept sweet rain,
When she danced, lightning praised,
Through storm and wind, her sacred reign,
Left heaven's courts amazed."

- Hymn to the Storm Queen

Her diplomatic skills manifested in the formation of the Weather Council, where representatives from various realms could negotiate the sharing of atmospheric resources and resolve climate-related disputes.
The training of the Cloud Dancers showed her appreciation for the artistic applications of her domain. These specialized priests learned to perform rituals that could influence weather through carefully choreographed movements and chants.

"Between rage and serenity she walked, teaching that true mastery lay not in controlling storms, but in understanding their purpose."

- Wisdom of the Weather Wise

Through careful cultivation of atmospheric phenomena, she established what became known as the Network of Winds - an intricate system of air currents that helped regulate weather patterns across multiple realms.
Her greatest gift to mortalkind was the knowledge of reading weather signs and working with natural patterns rather than against them. This wisdom saved countless lives and led to the development of sophisticated farming techniques.

"In thunder's roar we hear her voice,
In lightning's flash her grace,
Through storm-tossed skies we see her choice,
To give each cloud its place."

- The Weather Worker's Prayer

Her influence extended to the creation of the Storm Sanctuaries - safe havens within the heart of great tempests where weather-workers could commune with pure atmospheric forces. These sanctuaries served as both training grounds and repositories of meteorological knowledge.
The establishment of the Thunder Festivals showed her appreciation for cultural celebration. During these Events, carefully orchestrated storm displays would paint stories across the skies while her priests performed sacred weather-working rituals.

"Her festivals lit the heavens with meaning, each lightning strike a word in a divine language, each thunderclap a drumbeat in creation's song."

- Annals of the Storm Priests

Through her guidance, civilizations learned to build cities that worked in harmony with atmospheric forces rather than against them. Her architects crafted spires that could channel lightning safely, while her engineers designed structures that turned storm winds into sources of power.
The formation of the Cloud Courts demonstrated her political acumen. These gathering places, suspended within massive storm systems, served as neutral grounds where various aerial powers could meet and negotiate.

"Between thunder's roar and lightning's dance,
Where storm clouds paint the sky,
Her wisdom gave each realm its chance,
To soar both far and high."

- Songs of the Silver Tower

As one of the Four Air Eaters, she maintained complex relationships with her siblings in power. While Altabar commanded surface flames and Anvirthiel governed renewal, Draleba's mastery over storms helped maintain crucial balance in the aerial realms.
Her creation of the Storm Pearls - perfect spheres of condensed weather energy - revolutionized atmospheric manipulation. These artifacts allowed wielders to store and release weather patterns, becoming invaluable tools for both practical and martial applications.

"In her wisdom she saw that storms, like love, could not be truly controlled - only guided, understood, and respected in their natural flow."

- Teachings of the Weather Seers

When the first whispers of the Black Fire reached her Silver Tower, Draleba recognized the threat it posed to the natural order. She was among the first to warn the divine council of the corruption spreading through the realms.
The betrayal of Lavos struck particularly deep, as he had once been counted among her closest allies. His transformation from noble Air Eater to agent of corruption marked the beginning of her realm's darkest hour.

"Storm Queen of the highest tower,
Guardian of sky and cloud,
None foresaw that darkest hour,
When betrayal struck so proud."

- Lament of the Air Eaters

During the early stages of the Black Fire War, Draleba led her Storm Legions with tactical brilliance, using weather patterns to counter the spread of corruption. Her command of atmospheric forces proved crucial in many early victories.
The corruption of the weather patterns presented an unprecedented challenge. Black Fire twisted her domain in ways she had never imagined possible, creating storms that spread taint rather than cleansing rain.

"Even as darkness claimed the skies, her lightning struck true. Each thunderbolt a defiance against corruption's spread, each raindrop a tear for what was lost."

- Chronicles of the First Black Fire War

The final confrontation with Lavos came amidst a storm of unprecedented magnitude. Their battle reshaped weather patterns across multiple realms, as two masters of atmospheric power clashed in a display of force that would be remembered for millennia.
In the end, it was not Lavos's power alone that proved her undoing, but his betrayal of the fundamental principles they had both once upheld. His corrupted form of weather manipulation violated the natural laws she had spent eons protecting.

"When thunder weeps and lightning screams,
Remember her last stand,
For in the storm still live her dreams,
Of peace throughout the land."

- The Final Storm's Dirge

Her death split her divine essence between two successors - Lorak, who carried forward her noble legacy and protection of natural weather patterns, and Mazamata, who embraced the corrupted aspects of storm power as a general of the Black Fire.
The division of her power created a permanent schism in how weather magic manifested across the realms. Pure storms became rarer, while corrupted weather patterns grew increasingly common in lands touched by the Black Fire.

"In her final moments, they say lightning wept and thunder spoke prayers. The very clouds tried to shield her from corruption's touch, but even the mightiest storms must eventually break."

- Last Records of the Storm Sages

Her legacy lives on in every natural storm that cleanses the realms, in every flash of lightning that illuminates the darkness, and in the teachings she left to both gods and mortals about the true nature of power and responsibility.

"Look to the storm-wracked skies and know,
That though corruption claimed her light,
Her wisdom through the tempest flows,
Still guiding us through darkest night."

Final Verses, The Storm Queen's Tale